So I think the interview went well. The thing is, being a District Manager, the job requires relocation. There's basically a 25% chance I'd end up in Buffalo but 75% chance I'd end up in one of their other upstate NY markets. And there's a one year training period where I could be in a different market from where I would be after that year. If I WERE offered a position I'd really have to think about it...I mean, I LOVE Buffalo and just moved back here 2 years ago, just bought a house a few months ago! The thing is it would be a $21,000 salary increase and I'd get a company car...then a guaranteed $5000 salary increase each year on top of that for 4 years each, plus bonuses!
I'd have to find someone to rent the house out from me...someone I trust and preferably someone I know so I can stay here when I'm back in town! This way I can drive back into town often....I don't know how the arrangement would work :( I don't really want to sell though as I'd lose major money since I rolled the closing costs into the mortgage and have only made a few payments so far. If I just let the house sit and made payments on it and some tiny apartment wherever I moved, I'd basically be netting no additional money, probably would end up costing me more in fact.
Please share your thoughts!
Tiburon1724's Journal
My Podcast Link
07/23/2008 16:20 #45112
What do I do?Category: work
07/21/2008 22:52 #45098
The JobCategory: work
ok the outdated product drama I thought was behind us is returning again. Cuomo is just hell bent against us and sometime this week an anti-CVS press conference will be held by Mr. Cuomo. We will once again be thrust into the spotlight as murderers of children and the elderly alike, despite last Sunday's Buffalo News article that there is in fact no law on outdated products and in most cases, no health risk, except for baby products and some medicines. But anyway I have been instructed to once again comb the entire store...all 60,000+ SKUs for outdates and am getting no labor hours to do it with. Thanks, Cuomo. When are you up for re-election again? Can't wait. So we will be audited yet again, and if even one outdated product is found, I will be FIRED.
At least I have an interview as a District Manager with ALDI on Wednesday! Hopefully that goes well and I can escape this nightmare!
At least I have an interview as a District Manager with ALDI on Wednesday! Hopefully that goes well and I can escape this nightmare!
07/20/2008 22:06 #45083
Smashing Pumpkins!Category: music
So I was an absolute insane fan of the Smashing Pumpkins, but not at their prime...I actually got into them when Machina, their last official CD before they broke up (Machina II was later released in vinyl only, as a give-away). Alas, they broke up after the release of Machina so I never got to see them live. They got back together last year (albeit with 2 of 4 original band members) and are touring right now! Of course nowhere near here has been announced yet, but in addition to their 20th anniversary tour in the big cities (NY, Chicago etc), they're doing a tour through small venues in cities they haven't hit in the past. One is Clearwater, FL...near Tampa, an hour and a half or so from Orlando. I called my best friend in Orlando up and I'm flying down for the concert. It may after all be the last chance to see them!! August 20!
jessbob - 07/21/08 00:41
As a fellow Smashing Pumpkins fanatic, congrats and enjoy. They are really good live.
As a fellow Smashing Pumpkins fanatic, congrats and enjoy. They are really good live.
dcoffee - 07/20/08 22:46
cool, have fun! good band.
cool, have fun! good band.
tinypliny - 07/20/08 22:10
I wish my favourite band - Rata Blanca comes to the US. :( I would travel to the ends of the country to hear them!!
Nothing outside US though. Visa application is a big hassle that I don't want to deal with.
I wish my favourite band - Rata Blanca comes to the US. :( I would travel to the ends of the country to hear them!!
Nothing outside US though. Visa application is a big hassle that I don't want to deal with.
07/19/2008 16:09 #45075
Wow. Just wow.Category: movies
We all know the hype surrounding The Dark Knight, but I really have to admit I wasn't prepared for just how great this movie was going to be. One of the best movies I've ever seen and certainly the best comic-based movie, it's an epic crime drama and action flick all in one. Yes, epic. You still have to be prepared to suspend your disbelief for the outlandish things Mr. Wayne is capable of, but only one instance was really too much for me.
I definitely recommend checking it out in IMAX...I did at 1:35 this morning and it was well worth it!!
I definitely recommend checking it out in IMAX...I did at 1:35 this morning and it was well worth it!!
07/19/2008 16:25 #45076
iPhone sagaAs of yesterday morning, I finally have my iPhone 3G. What a great, though not perfect, device, though we're all well aware of what it can do by now.
Last week Friday (launch day) I went to the AT&T store on Sheridan. The demand for the 3G was being downplayed and I really didn't expect much difficulty getting it, so I didn't go early to line up or anything, though I did get up earlier than normal. There was a short line outside the store, turns out they were letting one person in at a time. After 5 minutes or so, I find out they're out of the iPhone and are just taking orders. I leave. I figure I'll try the Galleria since I've got two shots there - Apple Store and the AT&T store. I wanted to go to the AT&T store because I'd only have to go back there again to get my corporate discount applied.
Therefore I started at the AT&T store...very small line. Again I find out they're taking orders. The idiot walking the line said it can be ordered and will arrive on Monday. I go downstairs to the Apple store....holy freakin' line, Batman!! No way I'm waiting in a line like that for anything let alone a phone. So back upstairs I go, into a now longer line up there but still manageable. I can wait until Monday. I get to the front of the line, and am told it's $15 to get it by Monday. Ok well I wasn't told that....and honestly it's not about the money but the principle. If they can get the phones in the store on the next business day, they'd get them in there anyway so why am I paying for that? They shouldn't have run out so quickly to begin with! I cave in and place the order. I'm told I'll get a phone call and email when it's on on Monday.
Monday.....no call, no email. I gave them all day and called Tuesday...no, it's not in yet. I say I was told it would be in Monday and even paid to get it Monday. He says Monday was just an estimate but that's not what was communicated to me at all. He then said "if $15 is such a big deal we can refund it" Yes, you will.
Wednesday...I call, no iphone...Thursday....same deal. I log into AT&T to track the order and it's listed as BACKORDERED. I then check Apple Store's site and it says they will have all 3 models in in the morning. I get up Friday (yesterday) morning and go to the Apple Store, get the iphone with absolutely no wait or problem. The guy in front of me bought 5 - wtf!?
After the smug apple employee moved through the process at a painfully slow rate, I finally got my iPhone! Now to go back to AT&T and cancel that order and apply my corporate discount to my plan. This took about 25 minutes as the guy couldn't figure out how to cancel the order, and neither could the store manager. You'l have to call corporate I'm told, which I have yet to do. That'll be fun I'm sure. Then he told me I get no discount, but I was told last week it was 21%. He asks who told me that, like I remember, and finally he found it.
Wow, If it weren't the iPhone and were available with any other carrier, I'd have said screw AT&T. They have no clue what they're doing and totally botched this whole thing. I also blame Apple as it's clear Apple is keeping the vast majority of the iPhone stock for themselves to get people into their stores. Basically a ton of problems just to get a phone. And I'm not done yet as that order still isn't canceled...
but what a cool phone.
Last week Friday (launch day) I went to the AT&T store on Sheridan. The demand for the 3G was being downplayed and I really didn't expect much difficulty getting it, so I didn't go early to line up or anything, though I did get up earlier than normal. There was a short line outside the store, turns out they were letting one person in at a time. After 5 minutes or so, I find out they're out of the iPhone and are just taking orders. I leave. I figure I'll try the Galleria since I've got two shots there - Apple Store and the AT&T store. I wanted to go to the AT&T store because I'd only have to go back there again to get my corporate discount applied.
Therefore I started at the AT&T store...very small line. Again I find out they're taking orders. The idiot walking the line said it can be ordered and will arrive on Monday. I go downstairs to the Apple store....holy freakin' line, Batman!! No way I'm waiting in a line like that for anything let alone a phone. So back upstairs I go, into a now longer line up there but still manageable. I can wait until Monday. I get to the front of the line, and am told it's $15 to get it by Monday. Ok well I wasn't told that....and honestly it's not about the money but the principle. If they can get the phones in the store on the next business day, they'd get them in there anyway so why am I paying for that? They shouldn't have run out so quickly to begin with! I cave in and place the order. I'm told I'll get a phone call and email when it's on on Monday.
Monday.....no call, no email. I gave them all day and called Tuesday...no, it's not in yet. I say I was told it would be in Monday and even paid to get it Monday. He says Monday was just an estimate but that's not what was communicated to me at all. He then said "if $15 is such a big deal we can refund it" Yes, you will.
Wednesday...I call, no iphone...Thursday....same deal. I log into AT&T to track the order and it's listed as BACKORDERED. I then check Apple Store's site and it says they will have all 3 models in in the morning. I get up Friday (yesterday) morning and go to the Apple Store, get the iphone with absolutely no wait or problem. The guy in front of me bought 5 - wtf!?
After the smug apple employee moved through the process at a painfully slow rate, I finally got my iPhone! Now to go back to AT&T and cancel that order and apply my corporate discount to my plan. This took about 25 minutes as the guy couldn't figure out how to cancel the order, and neither could the store manager. You'l have to call corporate I'm told, which I have yet to do. That'll be fun I'm sure. Then he told me I get no discount, but I was told last week it was 21%. He asks who told me that, like I remember, and finally he found it.
Wow, If it weren't the iPhone and were available with any other carrier, I'd have said screw AT&T. They have no clue what they're doing and totally botched this whole thing. I also blame Apple as it's clear Apple is keeping the vast majority of the iPhone stock for themselves to get people into their stores. Basically a ton of problems just to get a phone. And I'm not done yet as that order still isn't canceled...
but what a cool phone.
tinypliny - 07/20/08 21:41
(Ominous Orchestral music with shots of phones being crushed by African elephants)
In a world where phones and plans are a dime a dozen...
Endless queues. Blood and sweat.
ONE phone. ONE Tiburon. ONE crazy monopoly.
[Cue in shots of you:
- waiting in queue!!
- swearing!!
- a drop of sweat dripping from your nose!!
- waking up confused to a shrill alarm bell!!
- having breakfast on the go!!
- driving break-neck speed through crazy-as-hell traffic!!
- End with crisp shot of a huge blue apple that someone has bitten off and DIED. Yeah, morbid shot of dead blue face included]
[Segues into black screen...]
Coming this summer to an Apple Store far away from you.
(Flash and zoom in on the date)
I-PHOOOOONNNNE. Face the mania.
(Crazy montage of queues etc.)
- In the voice of Don LaFontaine
(Ominous Orchestral music with shots of phones being crushed by African elephants)
In a world where phones and plans are a dime a dozen...
Endless queues. Blood and sweat.
ONE phone. ONE Tiburon. ONE crazy monopoly.
[Cue in shots of you:
- waiting in queue!!
- swearing!!
- a drop of sweat dripping from your nose!!
- waking up confused to a shrill alarm bell!!
- having breakfast on the go!!
- driving break-neck speed through crazy-as-hell traffic!!
- End with crisp shot of a huge blue apple that someone has bitten off and DIED. Yeah, morbid shot of dead blue face included]
[Segues into black screen...]
Coming this summer to an Apple Store far away from you.
(Flash and zoom in on the date)
I-PHOOOOONNNNE. Face the mania.
(Crazy montage of queues etc.)
Can you speak to (e:Jason)'s/(e:Janelle)'s friends?
Thanks guys for your input!
I can say if offered the position and relocating was not in the picture I would take it. But relocating and not being thrilled with the job combined would be an issue. That said, I would never take the job and relocate if it weren't so much money, to tiny's point.
I'm no stranger to hard work, my job now is quite physical, I basically have to do all the resets/planograms, seasonal sets, remerchandising, unload the truck each week, work the truck, build displays, etc etc. So I'm really not afraid of that. But where does this come into play as a District Manager (directed more to Jason)? I know the first year is all training and that's fine, and a DM has 4 stores in his/her district here.
What about it was so greuling? Everything on the floor is palletized and I assume it comes off the truck that way, so it's just a matter of rolling it into it's spot on the sales floor?
As far as hours, that's retail. Right now if working early I'm in by 7 or 730am, and if working a night shift as I do twice a week on average, I'm out at 10pm. Before CVS I worked at Disney as a retail manager and often didn't get out until 2am on a night shift, in at 6am on a morning shift. My average day is 9 hours, often more.
Tib,
I have a friend who took an Aldi DM job straight out of college. He is no longer with them, and hasn't been for a long time. I know a little about what it is like through him.
Basically, they work you like a mule. You work early, you work late, you're always on the road, and the physical labor aspect of it is true as well. We would go to visit my pal and get there at 11, when he was just getting off of his shift.
Also consider the relocation. You very well may end up moving to bumblefuck. Of course, the benefits and salary are very nice (they do count your miles on that car), and if you did it for a short time just to boost up your bank it isn't a bad option. Just know what you're going to have to sacrifice to get there.
I think (e:janelle) has made a very valid and important point. The organization interviewed you, so now its your turn to analyze them. Go undercover, talk, email etc. Find out everything you can.
That being said, I also think following your heart is important. It cannot be a bad decision if you learn something from it. I think any decision that is more appealing has a learning quotient as well. If your motivation for this job is merely the extra money, I would reconsider again.
Ask yourself; do you expect this job to enrich your self, and your experience and not just your bank balance? If the answer is yes, then I think not earning more than your present job, but just earning new experiences and perspectives is valuable enough to not worry about anything else. Newer opportunities will present themselves in the future if you would like to take the door out. This will merely be a grade in the school of your life.
tiburon, have you talked to other people who have done the Aldi management route? Here's my anecdotal evidence that makes me want to encourage you to seek out other Aldi employees.
There's two red flags for me. At my college they advertised really heavily that they would take anyone with a degree and make them a manager of a store. So my thought was that they probably had really high turnover.
My best friend's brother went the Aldi's route and was a store manager for a couple of years before he quit because he was working brutal hours and the work was more physical than he anticipated for being management. Of course, you'd be a district manager so the work load might look different for you.
I wouldn't leave Buffalo and your new house unless you were sure that this job is really what you want. But I tend to be more conservative and less risk-taking.
imk: District Manager for ALDI.
drew: I hadn't thought of using a property manager, sounds like something to look into.
Sounds like a good job. Can you pay somebody to rent out your house? (like a property manager) Then you could just stay with friends or whatever when you came to Buffalo.
can you share what kind of managing this would be? what sort of business?